US songwriter had an air about him (3)

I believe the answer is:

ira

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'him' is the definition.

'us songwriter had an air' is the wordplay.
'air' anagrams to 'IRA'.
However, I am not clear how this is indicated.

'about' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ira that I've seen before include "George Gershwin's older brother, the lyricist" , "Brother of George Gershwin" , "Militant republicans" , "George 13 down's brother" , "nationalists" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.